Meet Bubba

Bubba Interview with Bobbi Rathert:

BUBBA (AKA PHILIP LAVENDUSKEY) and I discussed his life. Like so many others living in the unsheltered community, Bubba experienced years of loss from childhood and throughout his adulthood. He seemed to carry much guilt and grief about the complexities that brought him on this path. "I still figure I did it wrong," Bubba continued. "I was told to leave and to never come back. By then, I was 25 years old. When my dad first threw me out, it was because we got into an argument. He said, 'Don't come back!' So I didn't. That first night after we fought, I slept in a shed at a farmhouse. The worst time of my life was probably when I was thirteen.”

Bubba expanded on his experience living at the Karuna House in La Crosse. He explained how he could wake up, have his needs met, eat three times a day, rest, and not have to live at risk as he has in the past. He is learning to organize his belongings and keep his room in order. Living with others is helping him learn about community building and shared efforts. He explained an incident when he and another person in the house had a conflict. Bubba could read the situation, he said, and attempt constructive conflict resolution to repair the problem between them. He felt pleased to be able to get clear about the other person's role, too. "Everything in the house becomes a learning issue," Bubba said.

You can find Bubba’s full story in “Where’s Home: People Experiencing Homelessness in La Crosse County Share Their Stories.”

Want to hear more from Bubba?
Check Out His Interview with Goat Cart or Order Your Copy of Where’s Home? Today